Sometimes when life throws lemons at you it is hard to make lemonade. You try to keep a smile on your face while everything around you seems to crumble under your feet. I understand what it feels like to transition through the rough times in your life.
In the last eight years since I lived down south I have been doing my best to make lemonade out of the bitter lemons. However, this year has been another defining year of transitioning through traumatic events. When my father passed away this April unexpectedly I felt a sense of hopelessness. I wanted the storms of life to come to a screeching halt but they kept raging. I had to deal with other God forsaken events as the spring shifted into summer. However, in the month of July I had truly reached my breaking point and decided to get away from it all.
When I decided to take some time away I gained a sense of clarity. It help me come back with a sense of peace and direction for the next move I needed to take in my life. I started to understand rough times in life help you grow. However, you have to be willing to take the lemons and use them to gain a greater advantage in life. Lemons may be sour but the bitter moments make life a little bit sweeter.
You may wonder, how can you make lemonade out of the bitter lemons of life? Well below are a couple life tips I learn through my lemonade experience.
1. Breathe. When you go through rough times in your life take time to step back and just breathe.
2. Give Yourself The Time You Deserve. After my father passed I did not feel like I needed to rush through the grieving process. I am still taking the needed time to process through the pain. It is important to give yourself all the time and attention you need to get through the storm.
3. Be Alone. Sometimes you need to be alone to gain clarity so you can get direction on how to move through your rough patch. It is important to be alone to be honest with how you feel about all the things going on in your life.
4. Cry. Crying is a great sign of releasing the stress. Do not feel like you have to be stoic because God gave us emotions to express freely. So allow your self to be a human being.
5. Get Away From It All. Sometimes your environment can be to noisy for you to relax your mind so it is always good to take a mini-vacation or break away from it all. Vacations or getaways rejuvenates your mind, body and soul.